Longtime Springfield Supervisor Robert Zisko resigned Tuesday May 26, just months after a colleague walked away from the job.
Zisko, who served 18 years on the board, told board members in a letter that he wanted to spend more time with his wife and baby girl and regretfully didn’t have “the necessary time to dedicate to Springfield Township.”
Board members were uniformly positive in their comments. Chairman Jim Nilsen said his friend “brought a dynamic to the community that no one else has done.” Supervisor Tony Matzura called the resignation a huge loss.
A staunch fiscal conservative, Zisko, a wood pellet distributor, brought a working man’s sensibility to the board and could be combative and blunt at times. He sparred with board members, most notably former Supervisor Karen Bedics over environmental issues, police and road department oversight, and opposed her push to regulate short-term rentals. Zisko was a vocal opponent of the extension of the Saucon Rail Trail to the township and questioned the legal costs incurred in opposing the Adelphia Gateway pipeline project.
The board will accept applications for the vacancy until June 16 and plans to make a selection at its June 23 meeting. At the online meeting, Bedics expressed an interest in serving out the remainder of Zisko’s term, which was to expire in December 2021.
During public comment, township resident Bill Ryker was critical of Zisko’s exit, saying that supervisors should serve out the terms they were elected to. Zisko’s departure follows Supervisor Chairman Dave Long’s shocking resignation last October.
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